The ministers flagged off the inaugural run at 6.45 am from Railway Board at New Delhi.

Speaking to media after the event, Pradhan said, ‘The new route will benefit the people of western Odisha and will bring ease of connectivity for them.’

The train will run once a week via Sambalpur from Saturday. It will depart from Bhubaneswar at 7.10 am every Saturday and will reach New Delhi at 10.40 am the next day.

The train route includes the following stoppages: Angul, Sambalpur City, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Chakradharpur, Anara, NSC Gomoh, Koderma, Gaya, Mughalsarai and Kanpur Central between Bhubaneswar and New Delhi from both the directions.(ANI)